ENTERPRISE — About 50 Wallowa County residents tuned in to a virtual public hearing last week to express their opinions on the East Moraine Forest Management Plan.
ENTERPRISE â The Wallowa County Commissioners are seeking public comments on the East Moraine Community Forest Management Plan, which will dictate the use of 1,800 acres of property around the East Moraine of Wallowa Lake.
Wallowa County purchased the land in January 2020 after a decade of efforts by the Wallowa Lake Moraines Partnership, which is made up of Wallowa County, Wallowa Land Trust, Wallowa Resources and Oregon Parks and Recreation.
According to Kathleen Ackley, executive director of Wallowa Land Trust, this space has much potential for public use, which is why the partnership is seeking public comment.
âWe invite the public to review the draft plan and provide comments to ensure the future management of the property is in line with the communityâs vision,â Ackley said.
ENTERPRISE â Cooperation from recreationists and local land managers are helping guide the management of Wallowa Countyâs recent acquisition of the Wallowa Lake East Moraine.
More than 450 people responded to an online survey last spring that asked about their interests and concerns for the future management of the land, now in Wallowa County ownership. County and Wallowa Land Trust staff followed up the survey last summer with focus groups to gain further information on the moraineâs many uses, according to a press release from the trust.
Eric Greenwell, the trustâs conservation director, said the data is helping the Wallowa Lake Moraines Partnership, which includes the county, the trust and Wallowa Resources, develop a multiple-use management plan, particularly as it relates to recreation.